


If They Only Knew

by Gemology



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Boyfriends, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Or whatever the ship name is, Pining, Romance, The first Billmie Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemology/pseuds/Gemology
Summary: Mayor Dewey goes to investigate some issues with the postal service, and finds more than he bargained for.





	If They Only Knew

**Author's Note:**

  * For [itadakimasuuus on Tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=itadakimasuuus+on+Tumblr).



Mayor Dewey would not tolerate sloppiness in his city. More and more often, there was a problem with the postal service. Two problems, actually. One was that the delivery time was inconsistent. It seemed like no matter what time he arrived home, the mailman arrived just a few minutes later. Even if he'd had to stay at the office late, the mail would be just a tad bit later. The second problem was the recurrent delivery of someone else's mail to his address.

The weird thing was that neither the name nor the address was ever very close to his own. There weren't that many citizens in Beach City, and such confusion had never occurred before, so Mayor Dewey was baffled at the sudden negligence of the delivery person. Especially since such continual negligence often led to the postman having to return to his home to retrieve the mis-delivered mail.

He decided that it was part of his mayoral duty to figure out what the problem was. After all, if it was happening to him, the  _mayor_  of Beach City, perhaps it was occurring with other citizens. He hadn't received any complaints (at least, not about this specific issue), but seeing as it was a problem happening in Beach City, it was his responsibility to get to the bottom of things.

So, in the middle of the afternoon, he drove his van over to the post office.

There was Jamie, idly sorting mail on the counter. When Bill entered, he looked up slowly, but when he saw who it was his eyes went wide and he proceeded to mix all the sorted mail back into a messy pile. He then attempted to set his elbow casually on the stack, beginning to say, "Hey Bi-" before it slipped and almost caused him to hit his face against the counter. Jamie quickly composed himself and dusted off, lifting his hand to wave. "H-Hello Mayor Dewey. What brings you here?"

"Jamie, my good man! Just the mailman I wanted to see," he leaned on the counter, smiling pleasantly at the employee.

"Really?" Jamie inwardly cursed as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What brings the mayor of our fair city here today?"

"Well, I know you've been delivering the mail to my house for a few years now, but recently there have been some inconsistencies. I know that things can be a bit relaxed here in Beach City, but the mail is a public services that the citizens rely on. So, are you sleeping okay? Any pay cuts? Changes in policy? Updates to your route? Adjustments to your schedule that prevent previous punctualness?" he listed off possible explanations for the recent less than stellar performance.

Jamie had been caught. Truthfully, he thought it would be a lot sooner, but Mayor Dewey was right, Beach City was pretty relaxed. And when it came to taking action, the mayor was pretty relaxed too. But now here he was in front of him, and there really wasn't any kind of lie that would get him out of this situation. Plus, he'd been able to keep his activities a secret from Barb, his boss, and if she found out about all the mistakes he had been making- although not really mistakes, since they were on purpose- he could lose his job.

"The truth is, Mayor Dewey, that I wanted to see you," a light blush started to creep up Jamie's neck to his cheeks. "Most of the time I just drop the mail in the boxes and leave, but I don't really see that many people on my route. I mean, there aren't that many people on my route to begin with, but what I mean is most are working while I'm working. It gets a little lonely. Even while working here at the actual post office, you're the first person that's come in in the last three weeks."

"So you weren't just slacking off then? Everything is fine?" Mayor Dewey queried.

"Of course, Mayor Dewey! Everything at work is great," Jamie grinned back.

"Good to hear! You know you could schedule a meeting at my office if you need to see me," Bill glanced around the small building, seeming to actually examine Jamie's workplace for the first time. "Believe it or not, being mayor is kind of a lonely job too. Hardly anyone visits me at the office, not even my own son. I know that not having a lot of work to do should be a good thing, and it is. At least for the city, it is. But for a man sitting high in his office overlooking our beautiful city, it's not the glamorous job everyone thinks it is."

Jamie decided not to mention that no one really thought being mayor was all that glamorous or difficult, but he held his tongue. One of the things he liked about Bill was his passion for his job, and how hard he tried even when he failed. "I would have made an appointment, but my reasons for trying to see you weren't really business related. They were more  _personal_ ," the mailman rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

For the first time, Mayor Dewey seemed to notice that Jamie was fidgeting, just a bit more than a normal person would. He also observed the slight pink tint on his cheeks, which seemed to be growing darker the more they stood in silence. Then it dawned on him. " _I wanted to see you," "lonely," "trying to see you,"_  and, " _more personal,"_  all registered at the same time.

"Oh," everything became clear. Jamie had feelings for him.  _Him_ , of all people. Although, there weren't all that many single choices in town, but  _still_. "Well, I haven't been- you know- out with a person in a very long time," Bill tugged at his collar. Was it warm in here all of a sudden?

Jamie's face fell. He knew that Mayor Dewey had had a wife at some point. After all, he had a son. There wasn't any reason why the mayor couldn't, as the phrase went, "swing both ways," but Jamie didn't actually know if that was the case. From the sound of it, Bill was trying to let him down gently. It shouldn't have been surprising, but after all the times he'd gone out of his way, he'd hoped his efforts would lead to something.

"That's alright, Mayor Dewey. Sorry about the mail mix-ups. I'll get better at delivering the post at its usual time. It'll be there when you get home, and I won't be anymore," Jamie cleared his throat and went back to the mail sorting that he had previously left neglected.

"No, Jamie, I just mean I'm kind of an old dog and I've been out of the game for a while. I don't exactly know how to do this. Plus, my son, I have to consider how he might feel about me jumping back into the dating pool. We may not be as close as we once were, but he's all the family I have. How he feels about anyone I bring home is important to me. But if he approves, we could give things a try?" he laid his hand palm side up on the counter, almost as an invitation.

Jamie's downcast eyes stared at the offered hand for several moments, before he carefully placed his own over the top. "Really?" his face finally turned up so he could look at Mayor Dewey.

"Sure. It might be nice to try out a more intimate relationship again. I'm game if you are," he gave Jamie's hand a tender squeeze.

"I probably I don't need to wait around for you to get home anymore and we can actually plan proper date… meeting… things," Jamie waved his free hand around as he debated what he should call their future scheduled encounters.

"Yes, in order to keep our fair city running smoothly, the mail should be delivered on time from now on. And to the right addresses," the mayor added, shaking a finger at Jamie scoldingly. Then he smiled. "Well, I should head back to the office, where I belong, and let you get back to work. The city won't run itself!" Mayor Dewey proclaimed as he headed for the door.

"Goodbye Mayor Dewey!" Jamie called after him.

"Please, call me Bill," he said. Just when he reached the exit, he paused, turning around to add, "Oh, and next time you deliver the mail, make my house your last stop. Perhaps you can stay for dinner," Bill flashed a grin in Jamie's direction as he left.

"Bye," Jamie waved. He was glad that they had been able to talk. He sighed wistfully, looking down at the mail he still had to sort, knowing he was going to be too busy daydreaming to focus on his job. Barb might be mad about the unfinished work, but at least he didn't have to hold in his feelings for Bill anymore. Things were moving in the right direction, and maybe this could work out after all.


End file.
